If you can't get to Fermilab for the presentation, you'll be able to
watch it on streaming video soon after November 12. The link to the
video will be at http://www.fnal.gov/culture/lecture.shtml
Fermilab Lecture Series presents:
"Imaging the Voices of the Past: Using Physics to Restore Early Sound
Recordings"
By Dr. Carl Haber, Senior Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory
Friday, November 12, 2004, at 8 p.m., Fermilab's Ramsey Auditorium
Sound was first recorded and reproduced by Thomas Edison in 1877.
Until about 1950, when magnetic tape use became common, most recordings
were made on mechanical media such as wax, foil, shellac, lacquer, and
plastic. Some of these older recordings contain material of great
historical value or interest but are damaged, decaying, or now
considered too delicate to play.
Carl Haber is an expert on a new technique to rescue these
irreplaceable treasures. He will discuss the history of sound recording
and the issues faced by archives and libraries as they strive to
preserve, and create greater access to, these valuable materials. A
series of new techniques derived from methods used in particle physics
have been applied to restoring damaged sound recordings. This new
approach, and prospects for the future, are the focus of this talk and
will be illustrated with sounds and images. Join Dr. Haber on Friday,
November 12, 2004 at 8 p.m. in Fermilab's Ramsey Auditorium.
Carl Haber is a particle physicist who has worked on
experiments at Fermilab for over 20 years. He received his Ph.D. in
Physics from Columbia University and is a Senior Scientist in the
Physics Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the
University of California. Most of his research involves the development
of precision particle detectors such as those used to identify the
displaced vertices associated with top quark production at Fermilab's
Tevatron Collider. These interests have led him, and his colleagues, to
apply their methods to the novel topic of sound restoration.
Admission to "Imaging the Voices of the Past" is $5. Tickets
are non-refundable. For further information or telephone reservations,
call 630/840-ARTS (2787) weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Phone
reservations are held for five working days, but will be released for
sale if not paid for within that time. Ramsey Auditorium is located in
Wilson Hall, the high-rise building on the Fermilab campus. Fermilab is
accessible by turning east on Pine Street from Kirk Road, just north of
I88. Our address is simply Kirk Rd. & Pine Street, Batavia. For more
information, go to our web page at
http://www.fnal.gov/culture/lecture.shtml.